Education bill to study psychiatric drug use

Sac Bee ^ | 6/27/02 | Dorsey Griffith -- Bee Medical Writer

[NormsRevenge]

A bill that would require the state Department of Education to study use of psychotropic medications among California public school children passed the Assembly Education Committee on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 1289 would require that the study review the role of school personnel in recommending psychiatric drugs, such as Ritalin, to control a student's problem behavior, as well as what alternatives schools offer to address the problems.

[NormsRevenge]

The use of psychiatric medications in children has surged in recent years

How much money have California politicians taken from drug companies the last 4 years?

[Commander8]

When I was about ten years old(1987) my Elementary School principal tried to pressure my parents to put me on ritalin b giving them the "let us dope up your son or we kick him out of school" ultimatum. I recall my mother getting really upset and calling the princial a "sick egotistical little man" and a "no good drug pusher." She said those things really loud so that people outside the office could hear her. Then she grabbed me by the arm and said "we're leaving." The next day the principal recieved a phone call from our family attorney letting him know that grade school principals do not have the authority to prescribe drugs and that if he continues to press the issue there would be serious legal troubles.
I had a friend who went to the same school who wasn't so lucky. He was put on ritalin when he was ten years old and later he was on haldol, then zoloft. Every day throughout his adololescence started with a cocktail of these drugs. He is 24 now and his parents have to keep him on the junk because they are afraid of withdrawal symptoms.
Some say that we should beware of a "military-industrial" complex. I beg to differ. We should beware of the government-educational-mental health complex.

[Orangedog]

Vouchers have been approved by the Supreme Court. GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS AS SOON AS YOU CAN!

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

I'd like them to disprove the information that I have read about every teen-aged 'School-Shooter' was (or has been) on Ritalin. . .

[Tired of Taxes]

That was a scary story. I've read that mostly boys are placed on these medications. It's like the schools cannot deal with active boys, so they're drugging them. I have three sons ages 6, 4, and one. They're not in public school, and, with stories like that one, I don't want to ever have to put them there. Good for your mother! My mother was strong-willed, too, and she would've never fallen for that nonsense, either.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

"...GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS..."

** *** ** *** ** *** ** *** ** ***

RogerThat !! !!

Homeschool Bump !! !! !!

[Tourist Guy]

My nephew-in-law was 'forced' to take Ritalin or else (be expelled). Now that he is in his mid 20's and no longer on the drug he has no concept of how to deal with reality; he is unable to "deal" with his emotions and seeks only for 'the easy way out,' with no end in sight.

[AAABEST]

God bless your mom and God help your friend.

God bless you.

[Al B.]

Amen to that.

Commander -- if your friend is still on Haldol, he needs all the prayers he can get. Haldol was one of the 2 drugs of choice for the Soviets when they tortured dissidents in Soviet psychoprisons.

[Bella_Bru]

I never understood why you would put a child whose brain chemicals are constantly changing anyway, on drugs to mess with the chemicals even more.

I have been on an SSRI for a little over a year now for OCD/anxiety, and it has worked well enough that they have started to wean me off it. However, I could not imagine being put on anything as a child or teen.

As for people being forced to put their kids on it or face expulsion, that is horrible, and reminds me of something the nazis would have tried.

[altair]

The California Psychological Association, which opposed earlier versions of the bill that would have prohibited any school employee from recommending use of psychiatric drugs,

That is shameful.

[altair]

I had a friend who went to the same school who wasn't so lucky. He was put on ritalin when he was ten years old and later he was on haldol, then zoloft. Every day throughout his adololescence started with a cocktail of these drugs. He is 24 now and his parents have to keep him on the junk because they are afraid of withdrawal symptoms.

Not so lucky is right. Those drugs have horrible side-effects and withdrawal can be worse than continuing. How sad.

[altair]

I never understood why you would put a child whose brain chemicals are constantly changing anyway, on drugs to mess with the chemicals even more.

I don't understand either. I've done some research on psychiatric drugs (it requires a Barbra Streisand detector to weed out the more hysterical material) and it truly seems to be a matter not to be taken lightly. To be prescribed by force by an educator with no medical training makes utterly no sense.

[backhoe]

Rx Nation- are our children being medicated to death?

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

Thanks for that Link, Backhoe !! !!

Bookmark Bump !! !!

[KentuckyWoman]

Actually, dear, four had been or were currently taking Ritalin. The rest were on Zoloft, Halodol (sp?) and Prozac. Just FYI.

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking!

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

Okay, point taken, some were driving on leaded and the others were using premium.....

Similar means to similar results....

[Sam's Army]

Your mom is a wonderful woman for taking this stand, to say the least.

I used to work in a mental health crisis unit that dealt only with immediate stabalization of kids and adults that came thru our doors. The amount of medicines given to kids from pediatricians was astounding in many cases. It was not unusual to see children being on adult-size doses simply because parents didn't want to parent. If a child acted up the solution (and many times at the parent(s) request) was to simply up the meds.

It was also unfortunate that our own doctors would do little to talk to parents about reducing or going off these meds completely, it was a total assembly-line way of dealing with problems.

Haldol was given to our most violent adult patients and only when they physically attacked someone. I can't believe the regularity that I hear about this being given on an out patient basis.

The whole psychiatric profession needs a review from top-to-bottom IMHO.